The Body in the Bag
by beanza3
Summary: My version of the Body in the Bag... Small spoliers for a certain scene betweeen Bones and Hannah, but otherwise AU. B B    Disclamer: I own nothing!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1- The Evening in the Call**

Hacker laughed, and Temperance smiled, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. _See,_ she thought. _This is what moving on is. _He'd been calling her for days after she had gotten back from Maluku, but she only agreed to go out with him the day after her talk with Micah, the day after she'd found cause of death, the day after she'd confessed to Booth… Who was proving harder to forget then she thought he would. He'd moved on, she _needed_ to too. She also needed to follow what Hacker was saying, and tried to focus in after scolding herself.

"What were you saying?" He repeated his statement, and she forced a laugh although, she _did not understand_ what was so funny about it. Dropping her gaze, she played with her napkin, unable to look at him without recalling her conversation with Booth –her confession.

Footsteps in the crowed but nearly noiseless restaurant (Hacker had chosen well), then a voice. "Hey, Bones! What are you doing here?" She looked up, straight into his eyes.

"Hi, Booth, Hi, Hannah," Hannah returned her forced smile with one of her own, before announcing she was getting a table and fleeing. Temperance tried to reign in the hurt she felt, compartmentalizing it for later.

"So, what're you two doing?" Booth learned over, looking concerned about Hannah. Temperance tried to hold in her sigh, it was just another reminder that she would never come first in his life anymore. He looked nice though, so she looked away.

Hacker answered, and she could tell he was irritated with Booth, she couldn't remember (for the death of her) why though. Was he in the middle of something important? Booth made small talk for a few minutes, then left. He gave her a searching look before he departed, but she couldn't hold his gaze. She couldn't cry in front of him, not now, not anymore. That was one mistake she'd never make again.

"You too seem to be off."

"What do you mean?" she was thrown by Hacker's comment. What did he know?

"You two… You two just always seemed to be close, in sync… You aren't any more." He shrugged and even she could tell he was uncomfortable with the situation.

"Well, sometimes I think we might be at the end of out partnership…" She didn't really know why she said that, she just couldn't control much that came out of her mouth anymore.

"Do you want me to reassign him?" He smiled, trying to make her feel better. For some reason, his support did. Maybe, even with Booth in the room, tonight she could forget.

"No," she laughed. "Not… Right now. Maybe someday, but for now we'll manage." She reached over and touched his hand, but jumped when her phone rang. Distantly, she heard the echo of another ring, but ignored it.

"Brennan," she had a case. After giving Hacker her regrets and goodbyes, she walked out to see Booth waiting for her. She took her coat, and looked at him. "Can I get a ride to the crime scene? Andrew drove us here."

He paused, pursing his lips. Was she not supposed to ask him for this now? Was he angry at her? Why the hell could she not read him as well as she once could? She got the answer for the latter instantly, she could only read Booth when he telegraphed himself to her, not when he stood there, immobile except for him lips.

"Sure, Bones. What else are you going to do, walk there?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2- The Betrayal in the Confession**

After analyzing the remains at the scene (female, mid to late thirties, short), and going to the Jeffersonian to spend all night reconstructing the shattered skull, she had finally taken a break. Angela, while sketching s facial reconstruction, sent her to buy coffee and get her a bagel.

So, she was out now, coffee in hand, trying to keep herself alert. She had found that it was easier to stay awake when she worked straight –taking breaks gave you time to feel your exhaustion.

When she spotted the reporter, Hannah, she remembered social norms and waved. Catching Hannah's eye and smiling, she started walking over to say 'Hello'. But what she wasn't prepared for was Hannah blanching, stopping, and power-walking (though she never quite understood that term) in the other direction.

Social norms be damned, Hannah was acting oddly, and the scientist in her just couldn't let a mystery like this sit. "Hannah," she called, jogging to catch up with her.

Hannah kept walking, but Temperance kept up. "You've been avoiding me," she accused, hurt evident in her voice. _What had she done?_

"Yes," Hannah replied, but that wasn't a good enough answer.

"I know most accepted social codes say that if you're being shunned you accept it, but I need to know Hannah. Why are you avoiding me?" Hannah stopped, and the sudden stop made Temperance's inertia pass her for a few feet before she could stop, turn, and face her.

"You want the truth?" For a consistently bubbly (A colloquial term for happy or 'peppy') Hannah seemed distressed. Her eyes gave her the look of being on the verge of tears and her pallor was pale, as though she hadn't slept recently. However, the woman looked her in the eye when she asked the question with her bitter tone of voice.

"Yes," if there was anything Temperance wanted, it would always be the truth.

She closed her eyes, then said in what seemed almost like a recitation, "I don't want to have regrets, I made a mistake-"

"Booth told you," the words tossed so carelessly, cut like knives (metaphorically speaking there were not actual knives), and made her blood run cold (another metaphor, scientifically speaking, blood can't run cold unless you're dead and the cells die).

"I thought you were my friend, how could you do such a selfish, _stupid_ thing?"

"I," she had to cut Hannah off from what seemed like the beginning of a rant. However, speaking seemed near impossible. "I wasn't try to steal Booth away from you, Hannah-"

"Then why," the teary blonde commanded. As with the sunglasses, Temperance felt the safest route was to obey without arguing.

"Booth for the last, 6 years has been my best friend. I've shared every relevation with him every problem –it's a hard habit to break. I wasn't asking for a second chance, Hannah. I wasn't asking him to leave you for me; I know that could never happen. I was just… I was just sharing with him my epiphany. I didn't want to waste my life, I didn't want to be cold, I don't want to share Lauren Eames's regrets. I made a mistake turning him down, and realized it, and maybe I was wrong to share it with him. But I was not asking for another chance, Hannah, I was just letting it be known that I didn't want to make a mistake like that again.

"I didn't mean to cause you any emotional distress; I was overtired and not thinking rationally." She felt, actually felt herself harden up as she slowed down her barrage of words and saw them sink in. "I hope you don't continually blame me for this, but I understand if you do… I have to get this bagel to Angela now, have a nice day."

She turned and left, leaving Hannah staring at her. Booth told her. Booth, the one who threw a fit when she shared important things about their partnership, told Hannah about her emotional breakdown: something so personal, she didn't even share with Angela. How could she forgive him, how could she work with him without wondering what he'd tell Hannah next. About her desire to have a child? His coma dream and her book? Maybe her family too, nothing seemed off-limits now.

While it seemed improbable to never tell him anything again, Temperance vowed to never trust him with personal information again. It was best to just keep it professional, there was no need for him to know what she knew.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3- The Fight in the Office **

Booth sat with Sweets, waiting for Bones to come, she was late. Sweets sat in his chair, staring intently at Booth, alone on the sofa. For years they'd arrive together, but now… They didn't. They didn't do a lot of things together, they barley worked together really. She started staying in the lab more; he was out of the lab more.

It was just too cold there; it bothered him more then usual. _She_ bothered him. Her little quarks that he used to laugh at, that he thought were cute, were proving to just be annoying reminders of the distance between them. And now she had practically wreaked his relationship with Hannah. He couldn't blame her, it wasn't on purpose, but when he had come home that night, Hannah instantly started grilling him. He normally wouldn't have told her the subject of the conversation (what's between him and Bones wasn't for the prying eyes of outsiders) but he was tired and it seemed to spill from him without consent.

The aftermath of course, Hannah was angry. It was a wonder she didn't blow up, she got so upset. He couldn't blame her, they all seemed to be victims to two people's mistakes.

"What are you thinking about Agent Booth?"

The question startled him and he snapped at Sweets, who looked annoyed, but didn't comment again. At least until Bones blew in.

She paused when she saw them sitting there, something hit her, it wasn't right. _This_ wasn't right. They were supposed to come in together, not one at a time. Everything had truly been destroyed.

"Bones-" Why was it that this nickname, one she adapted so readily, now seemed wrong coming from his mouth? She swallowed back bile that threatened to travel up her esophagus.

"Don't call me that."

He stood up, eyes narrowing. She couldn't remember that last time he'd lost patience with her before he went to Afghanistan, but now he was always snippy with her, "what the hell are you talking about, Bones?"

"You don't get to call me 'Bones'," she forced herself to not cry and looked him in the eyes. "You promised to never betray me, you promised, Booth. What happened to what's between us is ours?"

"Lets not do this here, Bones. Not in front of Sweets. You don't understand, If I just explain-"

"No, Booth. You don't get to explain and make everything better." Her voice rose, but she just couldn't stop herself. What had happened to the objective anthropologist? "I tell Hacker one stupid story about an egg and I'm evil, I'm wrong. But you get to tell Hannah something about me that is personal, and… No, I don't understand. Just add me to the list of people who don't understand and leave me alone."

"Bones-"

"I get it, you're not mine. You're gone. I understand. I just wish I knew that before I told you… everything. You can't tell me you're sorry."

He crossed the room to where she had blockaded herself behind the couch, crossing her arms as he advanced. "Bones, you don't get it. I was tired, and Hannah kept… _asking_. I had to tell her, she owes that from me."

"I know," her consent surprised him. "Hannah didn't deserve to leave her job without full knowledge of the situation. And she comes first, she'll always come first. Just, don't act like I'm even in your list. Don't follow me anymore, don't lead me on, don't even come around anymore."

"Bones, we work together. I can't just-"

"No, we don't. Not anymore."

"Hey!" Sweets jumped up. "You guys, I love how your sharing, but maybe you should sit down and discuss this… rationally. You can't just dissolve your partnership."

Booth wasn't listening; he just looked at her, eyes showing his hurt. But when she moved to open the door he moved. Taking her hands in his, he spoke. "Bones, you are my best friend. You can't just give up. Take some time, think about it. I don't want to lose you."

"You should have waited then. I have to go to El Salvador for a month, I'll decide then," she took in his surprised expression. Another thing he didn't know, another stake in her heart (going with the metaphor that she was a vampire –she felt like one: destructive, lifeless, and cold). "You can get used to working with Dr. Edison."

He opened his mouth to speak, but she shook her head. Trying to smile at him, she felt the despair she had locked away so carefully come out, and clasped her hand over her mouth, tears pricking her eyes. "I have to go."

As the door swung shut, Booth sat on the couch, all of his weight slamming into it making the only sound. There was silence for a few minutes, then Sweets spoke up. "So that's it then? You're not going to follow her?"

"She asked me not to," Booth spoke lifelessly. "What am I supposed to do?"

"You have changed," Sweets wasn't disappointed, just sad. "I really hope I'm wrong, and Hannah's worth it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4- The Return in the Break-up**

She left the plane excused, her guard at her side (though she told him there was no need to come with her this far, apparently he had someone picking him up too, and enjoyed her company) looking for Angela. She had told Angela the gate, but wouldn't be surprised if her friend forgot.

She chatted with him, when you spent a long time with someone, you naturally felt comfortable with them, and was almost sad to leave him. She (uncharacteristicly) gave him a hug goodbye when she spotted Angela.

"Hi, Ange," she had expected Angela to pick her up. Who she didn't expect was Booth.

She gave both of them a hug, mildly bewildered by his unpleasant expression, "Is something wrong?"

Angela laughed, but Booth nodded towards Daniel Bookman, who was greeting his family. She turned towards him, and he saw her, so she waved. While greatful for his protective presence in El Salvador, she wondered why her guard would cause so much concern for Booth.

"Who is he?"

Temperance smiled at Booth, trying to defuse the obvious tension, "he was my designated guard on the trip. He flew in with me and back out."

"He's hot," Angela teased. "Did you get any?"

Booth winced, and while she considered using revenge for that fig-talk (hypocritical and inconsistent of her since she'd done similar things multiple times) but decided that wouldn't be the best decision. Her relationship with Booth hung by a thread, and she had the unfortunate problem of falling off tip-ropes (a metaphoric comparison to both her relationship with Booth hanging from a wall, and to her falling off tip-ropes before –showing the unstable nature of their relationship).

"No, Ange. He's got a girlfriend."

Angela eyed the guy for a minute (technically, less so. Approximately five or six seconds) and then laughed again, "oh, so that's the blonde chickadee he's all over."

"I don't understand what that means," she told Angela, then addressed Booth. "Why are you here?"

He feigned innocence, "what, I can't pick my partner up at the airport after not seeing her for a month?"

"You obviously can, you just did, and I just assumed you'd be with Hannah," it was a reasonable conclusion after all, if you objectively viewed the last few months leading up to her departure. Her being gone should have pulled them that much closer.

"That'd be hard, she's in Afghanistan," Angela piped up, a malicious glee evident in her voice. She then winced at Booth's weary glare and apologized, "I know, you wanted tp tell her."

"Why?" Temperance didn't know why this shook her so much but it did. Probably because it was just more proof the transient nature of relationships. Pushing that tress that kept falling out of her bangs and into her face over that last month, she questioned him. "Why did she leave? What happened?"

"Wow, Sweetie… It's like she left you," Angela remarked, somehow expecting her to jump up and down in glee. And maybe she would, later. But right now, all she could focus on was this serious as a heart attack being destroyed within a few months of being in D.C.

"She missed her job and grew to hate being in D.C. Me too in a way I guess." Even Temperance could see he was still upset about this. She wondered again why he came, if Hannah left, wouldn't he be mad at her?

"Why did she hate you?"

A half smiled quirked its way up his face (the smile is being personified… It's poetic), "because, Bones, she gave up so much for me, and all I could think about was you alone in El Salvador. If you were okay. When you were going to call, write next. She just had enough."

"I'm sorry, I thought distance would mend things like that," she apologized, unsure of what she was apologizing for. All she did was leave for a bit, but it felt like she caused his break-up. Irrational.

"Bones, that's… It's not something that can be mended."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5- The Return in the Pattern**

"What do you mean, technically just about everything broken can be fixed," Angela tried to explain but she wanted, as the saying goes, to hear it straight from the horse's mouth (the horse being Booth).

"But it's not broken, Bones, you don't really believe that… Do you?" He was looking at her as though he expected her to understand and agree to save him somehow. But she didn't understand.

"I… I don't understand, Booth. What are we talking about?" She never understood him anymore. He was like a poem (this is a simile, it's a comparison), full of underlying meaning that's hard to decipher, and sometimes –she thought in her weakest days- not worth the effort to attempt to understand it.

He took her hand, and she was reminded of that day, a month ago, when she had called off their partnership. As though he'd read her mind (of course, logically, that's impossible) he spoke, "Bones, I gave you space… Now you tell me, do you want to continue our partnership or not?"

She looked in his eyes, and understood that he did want them to be partners, that he didn't mean to be cruel, but that didn't excuse how he'd made her feel. How she never wanted to feel like that before, and the events leading up to her break-down in the car… She _couldn't_ deal with that. Not again.

"Booth…" she croaked, feeling the weight of his happiness laying on her decision.

"Yes, Bones?"

"I've made my decision."

"And…" He prompted her, the confusion in his eyes, probably as to why she was beating around the (metaphorical) bush.

"I don't want to continue our partnership."

And saw a world shatter and burn.

**A/N: Btw I own nothing. **

**Review for what makes her/his/their world shatter… It may surprise you, just a few chapters left so REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6- The Beginning in the End (Again)**

Angela gasped, and Bones looked back at her. She had forgotten for a moment that Angela had been here, overhearing (eavesdropping, as she had so –rudely she knew now- put it to Hannah) and not expecting that conclusion.

"No, Sweetie… Don't," Temperance touched her arm, hoping to provide some form of comfort to her pregnant friend. But, when she looked at Booth, he looked even more devastated, and worse: guilty.

"Okay, Bones. You have the right to do that. But you promised me, coffee sometimes, right?" Angela stuttered out a reply, but she smiled at Booth. The meaning behind the question was clear; he wanted them to still be friends. He wasn't going to force anything out of her, but he wouldn't leave her… She took comfort from that, and shaped her answer. She knew what she had to say, she just had to force it out.

"No-"

Angela interrupted her, angry and hormonal, "what?"

"Angela-" Booth tried to placate her, and Temperance wished she wasn't so keen to (as put in colloquial terms) jump the gun.

"I want… more then that…" she trailed off uncertain in this uncharted (another metaphor… or was it?) territory.

Angela froze looking like a comical drawing of herself , but Booth moved towards her, looking into her eyes as if they were a crystal ball in which he could find the truth (the idea that you can see emotions in the eyes is a complete myth… though she did think she saw truth in the helicopter pilot's eyes –but that doesn't count, she was going insane then).

"Are you saying you want to try to have a relationship with me?" He spoke slowly, uncertain, but his proximity was affecting her, so perhaps that was a good thing.

"Yes… If you wish to… I understand that after Hannah, time's passed, things changed…" She waited for his response, unable to shape a coherent sentence.

A smile, one she hadn't seen in aimed at her in a while, broke out over his face, "I would like nothing more, Bones."

Nevertheless, she babbled on, "in order to keep continuing to do the work we do, Clark can be your forensic anthropologist, while I continue to work at the Jeffersonian. Dr. Saroyan agreed it would be for the best… Keeping a lesion between the Jeffersonian and FBI is too important. We'd still see each other, and I'd be able to oversee Clark… I don't see anyway around that… How it could be worked out for the better, but-"

"Bones, you don't have to explain everything to me, I know you've thought this all the way through already and we can talk about it later," his smile suggested he was teasing her –albeit gently, and the return to old patterns made her comfortable, happy.

She moved closer to him, they were barely touching now, and she turned her head, looking up into his eyes. "What are you saying?"

"I'm very glad I picked you up from the airport."

Her brow furrowed, as she considered his words, "but either way we'd have this discussion…"

His laugh was the one she remembered, sweet, carefree, happy. "No, Bones, the first time. Don't you remember?"

His voice softened when he asked her the _stupid_ question (of course she remembered!) and she smiled. "Ange, do you mind driving yourself home again… I think I've got a ride."

Groaning in an over-the-top (was that the correct phrase?) manner, Angela hugged Temperance and left, threatening her: If she didn't go out for lunch with her and spill (Had to ask Booth about that later: Colloquial term or _actually_ spill the contents of her plate?) everything she'd regret it.

Looking up at Booth, she knew that she'd finally made the right choice.

**A/N: Okay, so epilogue where they talk to Hacker and sort out the partner's issue or not? Your choice! Review! Thanks for reading!**

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	7. Epilogue

Epilogue: Hacker's Realization

Deputy Director Andrew Hacker sat on his desk, filling out miscellaneous paperwork. _'Special Agent Booth,'_ he read, and looked further instead of just signing 'yes' to it. Another successful arrest with Dr. Brennan, that was good. He had to remember to go over to the Jeffersonian and ask her out, he hadn't seen her for almost over a year.

Just as her put the newly signed piece of work on his desk, there was a knock on his door, and he heard a whispered discussion. Not caring enough to pay attention, he called whoever it was in. The faster they left, the faster he could whip on over to the lab.

The door creaked open (he'd have to get maintenance to fix that, he needed to maintain his image) and Tempe herself, accompanied by Agent Booth. He stood up, smiling broadly. "Hiya, Temperance, Booth, how are you?"

Tempe looked at him, "Hi…" she seemed nervous, and looked back at Booth, who put his hand on her back, and pushed her slightly forward. "Andrew, Booth and I have something to discuss with you."

He kept his smile on his face, but sat back down. "Oh, well, Tempe, Booth… What's this matter?"

He knew he annoyed Booth with his posturing, but he was the slightest bit miffed that Booth has seen her over the last few months –and probably communicated with her when she was in the Maluku Islands- when he had nary a phone call or letter. Sure, their relationship was slightly pushed by him, but she had always seemed receptive, and he felt he made a stronger impact. But no, he was just forgotten.

She gave another nervous glance towards Booth and then spoke, as always, cutting through all the crap, "Booth and I would like to see each other… Socially."

He felt a leaden ball drop into the pit of his stomach. "You mean like," he had to clear his throat. "Date?"

"Well, yes. I know it's against FBI protocol, but you shifted protocol for me and you to have a fling and logically you could do it again-" He cut off her slightly rambling sentence before he could continue.

"One point, why would I _want_ to?" And, of course, she always had a rebuttal.

"Well, Booth and I would like to _date_ each other. So, your choice is either allow us to continue working together, or lose the most successful partnership the FBI has had." She folded her arms and stared at him, and he shifted under her stares.

"Well…" What could he say to that? If he'd call her bluff, he knew… well, she wasn't bluffing. And if he fed this star-crossed lover thing between the two of them, he knew she'd never forgive him. There would go his chances of stealing her back. Damn Booth, was it completely unethical to demote him?

"Come on, Hacker, it's not that crazy." Booth whined, and Tempe glared at him. Obviously there arrangement was for Booth not to talk.

But what else could he do?

"Okay," he sighed, rubbing the sore spot at the top of his nose. "You can work together."

"And date?" Tempe clarified. She was never that excited to date _him_, damn, he'd lost her.

"And date…"

**So, that's the end! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, they made me smile. I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations… Poor Hacker, I think he's a dosh, but a well-meant dosh with good taste. I'd also like to point out, that he seems to really disappear after Booth's confession… and that Booth said he loved Bones while she was dating Hacker… So he shouldn't be talking! They just can't realize their love and confess it when they're both single…**


End file.
